Code:L
by AceServon
Summary: "Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back", that's the lifestyle Shaun Hastings follows. One day, it all turns against him. When Shaun digs into the endless labyrinth of codes in Abstergo Inc's system, he becomes a witness of something rather disturbing...
1. Chapter 1

Our lives are unpredictable, out of control for simple humans. We do not know the future and we can only suppose some things, based on a few observations and facts. Human lives aren't like the weather that meteorologists can predict and put on a scale.

The wind outside the window with lights on at 3am gave away a few creaking sounds, as if threatening to shatter from pressure. It wasn't very common for people to stay up late in the neighborhood since it consisted of retired men and women who had found peace in their cozy beds inside small apartments. Groans and complaints were heard by the computer screen of a rather young man. The screen cast a reflection to his glasses, gray letters on a black screen running sideways in a rapid speed in rhythm to the computer's keyboard. His fingers found their way to each sign and letter without any need to look down at what he was typing. "Bloody hell.." he muttered when his computer made a beeping sound, obviously denying him the access he was seeking.

It could go on for hours and he would only leave his seat by the kitchen table when going to the toilet or to brew another cup of coffee. A pile eventually formed by his side and cast a shadow on his table. He sat back and stretched, looking outside into the storms eye. The wind had calmed some, but the man knew it was only a for a short while until hell would break out again. London was known for its gray skies and cold summer which he despised so much. What brought his four eyes back to the screen was a flashing email icon. A small click made a window pop up within seconds.

"Hey, Shaun! My flight is canceled because of 'bad weather' so it seems

that we'll have to meet some other day. I wanted to talk to you in private

(you know how many unwanted eyes there are on the net) but I find this

information okay to share. I attached a zip file, open it and let me know

if it was of any use to you. I must say, I do not like the fact that you play with fire.

Be careful. /Bcc"

A zip file was indeed attached to the email and he didn't hesitate to open it. It held a few text files of complete nonsense, encrypted by his friend to maintain privacy. "They'll crack this if they must" he smiled some and copied it before opening a decoding program. To his surprise, the sent information was quite useful to say the least. In fact, it contained several keys that could be used directly to trespass into databases. For months, Shaun tried to make his way through codes of different kinds and into the very heart of various algorithms. 'The bloody devil got there before me..' he thought while typing into the password field. He knew she wouldn't make it through all the way but, the fact that he hadn't done it sooner himself, made him criticize his skills. Only slightly.

Heavy rain fell once again against his window. An alarm clock showed 5:03 am with bright red numbers from across the room. Shaun felt how his eyelids grew heavy and was about to turn off his computer when a window popped up. He stared at it in surprise and read "Enter password". 'What on earth..?' He checked what the code he had written contained and with time, his eyes widened. Shaun had found a way into the database he was looking for. Letter after letter appeared in the password field when he pressed a key and within a matter of seconds, his screen turned completely black. Panic rose in his body and he couldn't understand what had happened. 'Did I make a mistake?'

To his relief, a logo appeared on his monitor along with the title "Abstergo Inc". A small grin was brought to his otherwise stale face expression. Months of work had finally been paid off. Shaun didn't bother going through all files since it required time he didn't have. After all, he could easily be detected any minute. A status bar popped up in the middle and he watched it fill up with green color while files were transferred to his computer. That's when everything came crashing down. The transition was canceled and the bar disappeared, replaced by a warning sign and noise. His facial expression was once again panic and the only thing he could do was removing his battery as quickly as possible from his laptop. 'It must have saved', he thought to himself. It would be the least pleasant thing to witness that there were no copied files stored. Shaun was praying that they hadn't had time to track his location because if that was the case, he had to leave immediately. He had been very careful and used several methods to disguise himself. The easiest task was to change IP-adress. That alone would of course not save his ass against a powerful corporation like Abstergo. The chances of making it all the way in without detection were few and was a miracle rather than luck. His breath calmed just like the weather outside, a few rays of sun reaching the wall behind him and cast a shadow of his silhouette. As if that wasn't enough of a sign, he yawned and closed his eyes. A bed would be much more comfortable but his exhaustion made him fall asleep right on the table.

The annoying sound of a vibrating mobile phone brought Shaun back from a deep sleep. He could feel the vibrations on his face, trying to find it with a hand and brought it to his ear. "Yeah?" he mumbled tiredly. The voice of a woman, most likely stressed out, was heard on the line. "I've tried to contact you for an hour now! What the hell happened to your computer?" she spoke quick and loud. "What time is it?" he rubbed his eyes and put his glasses back on. "It's midday, Shaun. Why were you asleep?". How annoying, he thought. "My computer died last night and I fell asleep late. Are you satisfied with that, Rebecca?" She clearly didn't like his way of talking but didn't comment. "Anyway, I'm calling you because you're in trouble. My friend informed me that Abstergo is going rampage and that all is caused by an intruder. We both know who that is", she let the words sink in. Shaun rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You'll get a golden medal for being obvious later. Do they know though?"

The voice cracked some, most likely because of bad connection. "It's a matter of time. You better get out of there, stay in a hostel for some days or any other place where they don't request a passport. I warned you, Shaun. Curiosity killed the cat." He smiled widely and turned around in his chair, picking up cups and putting them into a sink. "But satisfaction brought it back, Rebecca, and I'm very satisfied" he said. At least he hoped he wouldn't be disappointed when he opened up his computer again. "You better be right.." she sighed. Trains and people could be heard in the background as well as annunciations. "Wait, is that Italian I hear?" he tried to concentrate to tell apart words. "Maybe" he heard an amused tone, followed by more noise from the trains. "Anyway, get going. Shoo. I'll call you again to make sure you are in a safe place. Bye" she hung up and left Shaun with a pulsing sound.

By 1pm, he had packed most of his belongings and tossed a bag into the trunk of his car. It shouldn't have been such surprise to him when Rebecca told him that Abstergo could be breathing down his neck soon enough. Yet, it was hard to believe that he was about to flee and look back to make sure no one was pointing a gun at him. For years, the mysterious company had been in the background of different technological inventions, never directly in the spotlight but very influential. Along with that, Nobel prise receivers in technology and biology had gone missing and if interviewed, they simply said they found peace working on a project. They obviously didn't tell what it was but they said it'd be revolutionary. That alone gave Shaun a reason to be suspicious and curious.

The BMW rolled onto the main street and continued for a while out of the sleeping region. The best plan was to go around London and find a similar town to this, with not too many but not too few people. In a small neighborhood, the chances that everyone knew each other was high. A stranger like him would disturb the peace. Trees were shining from the light that reflected raindrops and lit up the dark green color. Shaun loved this place, it calmed him in so many ways and thinking about leaving this town forever depressed him. He turned and drove past a farm to get to the main road. His trip would take some hours so eventually he turned on the radio. 'There better be a comfortable bed when I arrive..', he thought and relaxed in his seat.

Time passed and the surrounding area turned from a green countryside into a town built from red bricks. Various shops and cafés were open, people sat by small circular tables and sipped freshly brewed coffee. His car was almost out of gas, which indicated pure luck that he had arrived already. A sign that hung on the four floors tall building read 'Hostel' with old painted letters. Shaun parked and stepped out, grabbing his big sports bag with all belongings. As he had thought, he only had to pay and sign a paper in case he lost the key. A long and narrow staircase led him to room 11. "How cozy" he said to himself and dropped the bag on the floor, locking the door. It wasn't very big but had space for a bed and toilet with shower space. Small curtains with embroidery hung over a window, covering the view for unwanted eyes and still letting in light. Of course, the first thing he did was to pick up his computer and put it on his lap. "You better work, bastard.." The Hostel had no WiFi, though he had no need for internet connection yet.

A startup screen lit up and he typed in the password, leading him to the desktop with several folders. When Shaun named files or anything for that matter on his computer, he hated to write it's full name and therefore created files that only have a few letters. In the end, he'd forget what on earth he meant by "H2k" or tried to find a file and never remembered the shortcut. This time though, he knew exactly where to look for the, hopefully, stored data. Before he could do anything, his phone vibrated in his pocket, way too close to something else. He jerked it out of there and answered.

"What?"

"Are you there yet?", Rebecca asked from the other side of the phone-line.

"No, I'm currently in a van with twenty guns pointing at me", he replied while opening the folder named 'absIn748'. She laughed some and the sound of chewing could be heard. "Nice, take pictures so you can update your status one last time." Shaun's eyes widened and his smile would probably rip his face if he didn't stop. "You won't believe this, I actually got the most of it."

A loud sound could be heard, forcing him to pull away his phone. "Are you alright over there?", he asked amused.

"Are.. o seri..s?!", Rebecca shout while causing more disturbing sounds. "Even their project plans?" He could hear her more clear now. "Sorry, I dropped my phone. What does it say?"

Shaun opened a document and scrolled some. Stamps and signatures were covering the bottom of every digital paper copy along with illustrations. "This must be the most bizarre files I've seen in my life", he had to comment. Pictures were in the folder as well and Shaun could feel his heartbeat rise. "Incredible..", he whispered.

"Hey, say something! I helped you too after all", she complained. "They are working with Artificial Intelligence, and we aren't only talking about computers here."

"Good god, what is it then?"

Shaun corrected his glasses and cleared his throat. He was overwhelmed with this information in his hands. "They seem to want a living robot. I honestly don't think it's possible but.. who knows. If Abstergo has stopped collecting people for this project, it means they're getting somewhere. I honestly hope they're not. It's an absurd idea." Rebecca agreed on that. "I will see you tomorrow. Send me the address if you can. Good luck, Shaun", she said as she hung up on him again.

Shaun was left staring at the monitor with anxiety. 'Who and why would anyone want to do that..?' he asked himself while continuing to read descriptions and reports. Most files consisted out of the same subject, which started to bore him. It was too much to take in in one day. After a few more minutes he put the computer on sleeping mode and closed the screen. At least one thing was sure, Abstergo was up to no good, just as he had suspected. As dawn fell upon the local streets, his eyes grew heavy but mind didn't let him slip away. In the empty corridor a clock hung, dusty which could make one assume it had seen better days. Ticking sounds reached the Hostel room and it started to get on Shaun's nerves. Tick.. tuck.. tick...tick.. Had the clock gotten stuck?

Eventually, Shaun made up his mind and rose from the silky bed sheets. Wearing only boxers, the British man made his way towards the annoying sound on his toes. One of the clock hands had stopped working between the numbers "9" and "10", struggling to break free from its longer twin. Shaun opened the clock carefully and moved it, watching it continue its route around the clock face. "Not my fault if someone gets late because of this", he smiled to himself at the thought and returned. Perhaps it would be better if he had stopped it completely but it turned out to be rather hypnotic and calming. Slowly, his eyes closed. They were too heavy to withstand.

Another morning, yet another day. Sheets were laying on the floor in a messy pile with a leg dangling over the edge. Quietly, the hunter got closer to its prey. Step by step, it circled around him in the room. It leaned over him, feeling how heat radiated from his bare skin. "Shaun... your mother-in-law is here and you're nude...", she whispered with a smug smirk on her face. His eyes flew open, accompanied by pure panic face expression. Covering up what god gave him, Shaun stared at the woman who had been so kind to wake him up. "Have you lost your mind-?", he hissed, a shade of red painting his cheeks. "Not yet, though you lost your blanket", Rebecca picked it up and tossed it at him. "Next time, it'll end bad", he pulled it closer to his chest and thighs. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I had better things to take care of. For example, you now have a new phone. No need to thank me", she reached out and gave him a slim black phone. "It has a SIM-card already."

Shaun flipped and turned the phone in his hand. "Thanks, this time I mean it."

"When did you not mean it..?", Rebecca stared at him, startled by the new discovery. "Who knows", he replied with a shrug. "Do you have money.. I.. kind of spent everything on that", she smiled sweetly pointing at the phone. "Are you bloody serious, Bec?" She scratched her head and left the room to give him privacy when getting dressed.

Shaun joined Rebecca outside the Hostel, leaving for a cup of coffee each. If he didn't get his morning coffee in time, Shaun got moody and easily distracted from work. "Spit it out, why on earth were you in Italy?", he sipped some and gave her a curious look through his spectacles. "You have to know everything, don't you?", she rolled her eyes and bit off a piece of biscuit. "Simply wanted to have some time off, can't I? Of course, you have no idea what a thing such as vacation is", she laughed. "You're right, I'm a workaholic, you got me", he rose his hands above his head. Some cars passed them and left a trail of gas behind, making them both frown. With the corner of his eye, Shaun noticed a car that stood parked a few meters away. It was a black van with tanned windows, but you could still see a light reflect from the inside. Was someone watching them? Despite his paranoia, they continued sitting. Chances that it was a simple car cooling film that one could put on the window to keep out warmth of the sun, were high, but it kept nagging on him.

Rest of the day passed rather calmly, a chilling wind teased both adult's hair. They found a good spot in a nearby forest to observe the territory from above. "Isn't this great? You should go out more often, maybe even renew your wardrobe", Rebecca spoke in a slow pace. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?", he glared, demanding an excuse. "Well.. in those clothes you kind of look like my grandpa." Shaun's eye twitched at that. The formal outfit he wore on a daily basis was a white button-up shirt with a gray pullover vest. Not too fancy and quite comfortable. "You know who you look like?", he grinned. "Just like my dead sister." That comment frightened Rebecca. "I get it, I'm sorry. You look like my dad." They remained sitting on the same spot until dawn and discussed what had happened the past four months. Both of them were active in the conversation, something Rebecca appreciated since Shaun wasn't the chatty kind of guy. When the wind got chilly, they agreed on going back to the hostel. "If you'd like, I can sleep on the floor. Just this time though, don't get too excited", he corrected his glasses and grabbed a tree branch hanging above his head, slowly climbing down from the formed cliff. "A real British gentleman", Rebecca pat his shoulder when he had gotten down. He decided to keep his comments to himself this time.

To Shaun's relief, the black van from earlier was gone, not a single trace left that it had been standing there. He took one last breath of fresh air and followed his companion into the building. A tall blond woman was standing behind the reception desk, smiling at them as they passed. "Have a good night, Mr and Mrs Hastings." Shaun stopped and shook his head. "You got the wrong idea. Me-, we aren't married and we're not dating at all either, yeah", he realized he was making a fool out of himself and simply carried on slightly quicker. "Don't say a word", he hissed at Rebecca who was about to pass out from holding in her laughter. "You just made her even more suspicious, good job. People aren't your thing."

A fly was desperately trying to get out from the stuffy room, making a dull sound against the glass surface. No one in the room even noticed, buried with their face in their soft feather pillows. It was past midnight, some light cast a spiderweb-like shadow on the wall through laced curtains. Cars rarely ever passed on this street but tonight was different. The black van stood a few meters away from the hostel with a man peeking out with his binocular. "All clear. We're moving in", he looked at the backseat to get eye contact with his subordinates. Their footsteps were quiet, almost ghostly. Within a minute, their feet took them upstairs to room 11 where their target, hopefully, was unaware of their uninvited company. They counted down and slammed the door open and headed directly to the bed. To everyone's surprise, they found a woman, but since they didn't get any orders to leave anyone out, a man pushed her down and held a mix of chloroform against her nose. The man they were looking for had already stood up and shouted at them but was forcefully knocked out with a punch. "Take them both, don't forget his computer", one of them said and left the room. On their way out, the man stopped by the reception and smiled to the blond woman. "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll make sure these criminals never find their way back here. As I promised..", he put an envelope on the counter and slid it her way with his palm. The receptionist nodded and took it without hesitation. If one had a problem with something, you could always buy the solution with money. The squad entered the black van and disappeared, leaving town as if it was untouched.


	2. Chapter 2

Flashing lights.

It looked like a storm before his eyes and forced his eyelids shut. Look to the right, everything dazzles him. Slow look to the left, his pulse is rising. A green line zigzags up and down, showing him that it's not a dream. This isn't his end. Someone was approaching him, lonely echo of heels reached his ears before a shadow blocked the ceiling light. "Good morning, Mr Hastings," a woman's voice was heard. Dizziness had a firm grip on his consciousness, not letting him think clearly. "Who are you..? Am I..? Where am I?" he asked slowly. "You are in the hospital wing," the woman said and took a closer look at the monitor. "Do you mind if I take a look at your eyes?" Shaun tried to sit up but without further success. "You have been sedated, please don't get up yet," she smiled and sat by his side on the bed's edge. A bright light was once again flashing before his eyes, making him frown. "Eyes pupils are reacting. That is a good sign. Do you know where you are?"

When he tried to swallow, he felt how dry his mouth was. "You said.. I'm in the hospital wing.. am I at the Wellington Hospital?" The woman shook her head. There was something with her appearance that calmed Shaun, her dark brown hair and eyes, hiding behind a pair of silver framed glasses. "No, we aren't in London. Do you know what day it is?" When Shaun tried to remember, he felt the pain return in his skull. "I remember it was a.. Tuesday, the 10th of May." He rubbed his head and felt stitches in his hair under his fingertips. "I'm afraid it's not Wednesday today. It is Friday the 13th, May 2011."

A grin appeared on his face. "How unfortunate for me to wake up on this day, God knows where." The nurse rubbed his shoulder comforting. "You will be alright, sir." There was something off with her accent, Shaun realized. It only confirmed her words that they indeed were not in London. They weren't even in the UK. He looked for clues in his surrounding area, anything that could tell him his location. In the far end, a familiar logotype was displayed on a monitor, turning 360 degrees. "This is Abstergo Inc.. I'm in the United States! How the fuck did I get here?" The woman stood up and got a syringe from the nearby cabinet. "You flew here. You have suffered a brain concussion from our men, someone sure went overboard with power. You were unconscious for two days, you're lucky you don't have amnesia. As far as I can see, you will be alright." In her hand, a small bottle rested with some kind of blanc fluid. The nurse stuck a needle in it and pulled the end of the syringe to fill it whole.

"You will knock me out again, won't you?" he sat up in the bed with a pounding head. His clothes were missing but he wore a hospital tunic instead. "Is that what you think?" she smiled, amusement could be spotted in her eyes. "It's simple vitamins. You need a lot of them. When was the last time you ate something fresh?" she stuck the needle in his IV and injected the fluid. "Don't teach me how to live, it's none of your business," he laid back in his bed. She closed the IV cap and and threw the syringe with it's needle into a trash bin. As Shaun's memory started to return along with his focus, he became concerned about Rebecca. "Have you seen a black haired woman? She was with me when your men took us as hostage." The nurse shook her head and stroke back some hair behind her ear. "You are disorientated, Mr Hastings. Get some rest," she left the white room. _'Disorientated?'_ , he thought to himself, confusion prevented him from connecting thoughts. _'Why didn't she tell me about Rebecca? Isn't she here..?'_

A floor above him, the nurse made her way through a laboratory and down a light corridor. Abstergo Inc's lab facility was mostly white and plain, no decorations of any kind were to be found. The plainness suited surprisingly well. Her white robe made her look like a lonely ghost, melting with her surroundings. The emptiness provided anyone who passed with an echo of their shoes that could be heard all the way from point A to B. With a swipe of her card, she entered an elevator with keys locking every floor except one. She only had access to four out of fifteen floors, the lab, the hospital wing, main floor and sleeping area where the workers could live during their working period. She took up her keys and unlocked floor -3. The elevator made a high pitched noise and closed its doors, taking her down below ground. Employees rarely went there since it was restricted area. Only lab workers could access that floor. The nurse was met by a blue light when she exited the elevator and proceeded towards one of the rooms across. No one paid the slightest attention to her, everyone either too occupied with writing or mixing components. The door swung open and was closed immediately after her entering. "You are right on time, Mrs Walker. Come, sit down." The nurse nod and sat down next to the man's desk. "How is he doing?" he asked with a rather curious tone. "Mr Hastings is recovering well, his brain activity is high and is overall stable. He was asking about her," she looked at him with concern. The man shifted his leg's position and drank some scotch. "I assume you did not tell him anything. It is important that we keep it a secret, at least for a while." Mrs Walker agreed and sat up. "Wait, one more thing. Transfer him to the coding building, give him something to work on. I don't wish to waste any more time, now that we are so close." Her lips formed a straight line, but she said nothing. There was no point to argue with this man.

A few hours passed and Shaun was still trying to fall asleep. His headache was slowly fading away but the fatigue refused to let go of him. _'Why did they take us? Do they have any use of us?'_ Questions wouldn't leave his head until he clenched his fist and buried himself in the bedsheets. It struck him after hours of thinking, how far away from home he actually was. _'Get a hold of yourself, Shaun. You aren't 12.'_ A door's creek brought him back to reality as he peeked from beneath the cover. Two men, together with the nurse, stood with their guns in their grip. "I apologize for this. This is simply out of security reasons." Shaun chuckled. "In case I knock out one of them and shoot the other so I can take you into hostage? Neat." One of the guards sent Shaun a glare but kept quiet, for they weren't allowed to speak during their duty unless asked to. The nurse helped him out of bed and gave him his clothes back in a sealed plastic bag. "Let me take these wires off," she carefully detached the IV and put a band-aid on the wound. "Call me back in when you are dressed." He looked at the man and frowned. "What, are they gonna watch me? If I wanted men to see me strip, I sure would go work in a gay club instead." She smiled some and ordered the guards to turn away. "Better, Mr Hastings?" Shaun turned towards the bed and slid off the hospital tunic. He shivered while standing on the cold floor and hurried to dress himself. To his surprise, his clothes were ironed and washed.

When he was done, the nurse returned and pushed him lightly on the back so he would move forward. "We are transferring you to the coding facility. You will attend your work at 10 am straight, tomorrow. Someone will show you around and introduce you to a project. You are now working for Abstergo Inc. And no, I cannot answer any of your questions. I am simply your nurse after all," she entered the elevator and unlocked floor 0. "Not even questions like.. your name? Maybe age? Wait, that would be rude of me," Shaun mumbled, peeking at the guards with his side vision. They were not to be fucked around with. "Call me Mrs Walker. You will not have any use of my real name here. The more confidential, the better." He rolled his eyes at that. "Alright, Mrs Walker. How about you tell me where to find you in case that I pass out, or whatever reason for that matter. As much as I know, brain concussion isn't a joke." She turned and gave him a small smile from the corner of her lips. "I will make sure to leave a phone number, Hastings." With that said, the elevator opened and he was led to a corridor across Abstergo's main hall. Its ceiling stretched several floors up, creating enormous amount of light space. Shaun's eyes widened for a brief second before the sight was replaced with darkness. A weakly illuminated hallway with locked doors made him wonder how many people actually lived here. Another elevator was to be found to his right, already open. No locks seemed to be needed on the selection panel. "Floor five, please," she nodded to Shaun, who wasn't very fond of taking orders. Either way, he pressed button five and the doors shut. Within seconds, they reached their destination and the nurse fished up a card from her robe, holding it up for Shaun to see. "This belongs to you now. Don't lose it." His face was stamped on the card along with name, age, height and occupation. "All programmers work on floor 2 in the main building, but you also have access to floor -1, 0 and 4. There are no stairs, so this card is your only way to move around." He didn't know what disturbed him more, that everything was already prepared for him or that they had all information regarding him in their database.

"You have sense of humor," he commented on his room number, that ironically happened to be E-11, just like his hostel room. "We will leave you for now. Get rest and remember, 10am tomorrow, floor 2 in the main building." They left him by the door and disappeared from his sight. Shaun swiped the card and received a clicking sound. The door swung open and he entered, closing it after him. The room itself wasn't huge, yet had space for everything he'd need, including a bathroom. To his concern, the window stretched from ceiling to floor and wall to wall, leaving him with a feeling of being exposed. The view of his surroundings was remarkable, an inner garden that was the size of a football field with few ponds and trees could be seen in the middle of the surrounding buildings. "So workers only have the inner view of everything..? We are bloody prisoners." With a sigh, he sat down on the bed and looked at the wall. There was a small option panel there with buttons. "Opaque?" he read and pressed it. To his surprise, the window turned gray from the inside. Shaun could still see everything but he was sure that the outside now reflected the environment. "These guys will never stop surprising me.." he smirked and laid down. No sounds were to be heard, he was completely isolated from the outside world. It was an odd sensation for Shaun, something he had never felt before. _Vulnerability._

These men could do anything to him at any moment and he wouldn't even get the thought. "Who knows, maybe I'm already brainwashed." It did not calm him at all. Groaning, he sat up and shook his head. A monitor stood on his desk with a Windows logo bouncing from side to side, awaiting the touch of a button or mouse. With boredom slowly taking over, Shaun decided to check it out. He brought the screen back to life by shaking the mouse and sat back. It was the newest Windows system, something Shaun found satisfying. A few icons were on the desktop, word programs, coding and what not. One of them was blinking with bright green, indicating that he was online along with someone else. "Wonder who's there."

Shaun double clicked it and logged in. A chat window appeared with different colored text bubbles, it seemed that around four people were chatting. "Maybe they're co-workers", he thought and chose a username to join them.

 **Claz:** isn't it sick? i've tried to get them to fix my darn coffee machine for months now! where does their money go anyway?

 _[Hastings joined the group]_

 **Drenn:** calm down, you won't die - you still have one in the cafeteria

 **Claz:** man, you think i have energy to go down that early? no way

 **Drenn:** drama queen

 **Claz:** don't make me come over and smack you

 **Drenn:** come

 **Drenn:** if you dare

 **Claz:** kindly fuck off

 **Drenn:** wait, did you notice?

 **Claz:** notice what?

 **Drenn:** we're not alone anymore

 **Claz:** huh? what? no..?

 **Drenn:** scroll up, dammit

 **Claz:** shit, you're right. hey, you, what's up?

 **Hastings:** Not me.

 **Drenn:** hah you're new here or something? haven't seen you here before

 **Hastings:** No, I've always been here. You just never knew. Always watching…

 **Claz:** THAT'S… CREEPY

 **Hastings:** Good.

 **Claz:** please tell me you're joking.. haha.. hah

 _[Hastings left the group]_

Shaun smiled some. This would creep them out for now. With satisfaction, he left his seat and checked the clock. "10pm huh..? I better get some rest for tomorrow." Undressed and tucked under his bedsheets, Shaun laid his head to rest on the soft pillow. It sunk some under him and brought great comfort.

An annoying sound pierced his eardrums, a repeating buzz coming from the wall to his right with no intention on stopping. Shaun rolled over and squinted his eyes at big red numbers that formed 8:00. He couldn't remember turning on an alarm. He pushed a button that he assumed was the buzzer and sunk into the madras with relief when it stopped. It was pointless trying to read what it said in the options field without his glasses. A minute later, Shaun sat up and stretched, looking outside from his window. Sun rays didn't reach the ground yet in the middle of Abstergo's garden zone. His room's bathroom was simple and small, yet enough for one living person. A shower cabin stood next to the toilet seat, along with a shelf with towels and other hygiene products. "Neat". He stepped in and turned on the water directly which to his stupidity made him receive a stain of cold water. With the wrong placement of his foot, his balance shifted and his body suffered. "Bloody-.. hell," he hissed and slid on his buttcheeks towards the handle on the wall to pull himself up. If not from the shower, then he was sure awake from this.

His thigh and shoulder were bruised when he left the cabin to get dressed. They were red with a shade of blue when he took a look in the mirror. That would hurt real bad later. Within seconds, he had wiped himself dry and put on the casual office wear to attend work. "Wonder what I'll get assigned. Maybe one of their wacky projects.. or perhaps something lame. It better be worth my time either way." He left his room and went to the elevator, taking him to floor 0 where everyone could move around freely. To his surprise, Abstergo was just as busy in the morning as any other town during morning hours. Workers of different kind, men and women, rushed towards the elevators with either coffee cups in hand or dozen of papers. This place seemed no different from civilization. "Or maybe it's to keep us calm," he stuck his hands in his pockets. Main difference between Abstergo's building and a street, it didn't have any signs whatsoever. "How the heck do I find here?"

With or without, Shaun figured he could just walk around for a while. Despite the huge area, the main hall that reached around the whole garden and connected the four buildings was the only reasonable option for him. _'This is the sleeping area.. How far away would the main building be? It must be available for everyone.'_ The only building that filled the criteria was white and 20 floors high, standing between the sleeping facility and some other building that didn't stick out much. _'If it's main, it must stick out.'_ Luckily, Shaun had guessed correct and took the elevator to floor 2, accompanied by a blond guy that was busy playing something on his phone, not even noticing Shaun's presence. On the badge that was attached to his shirt stood his name and photo. "Clay.." he tried to read from the side without realizing he had spoken aloud and that the man named Clay was now staring. "Uh, yes? Did you want something?" he had paused his game. Shaun hadn't expected to have a conversation in the elevator and found himself feeling a bit awkward. "It's.. nothing. I'm simply curious of those who work here. I mean, you do work here, right mate?" he said a bit too suspiciously. _'Now he'll think I'm a weirdo.'_ The man didn't seemed bothered at all and exited on the same floor as Shaun. "That's right, I do. Are you a new worker here? I'm Clay Kaczmarek, pleased to meet you," he reached out his hand for Shaun to shake, who returned the favor with a pitiful smile. "Abstergo has gotten me to work for them so it's my first day." Clay grinned and nod. "They have their methods to make people work for them. You must be special, be happy for that."

"Yeah, happy I'll only leave this company feet first.."

"I am Shaun Hastings, from Britain," he introduced himself. "No.. Seriously? Are you the guy who freaked me out yesterday? Man, it wasn't funny." Shaun suddenly realized who the man before him actually was. "Well, don't let yourself get scared that easily." They passed several cabins and cabinets where typing from a keyboard could be heard. "How long have you been working here?" he asked, looking around meanwhile. "Let's see… around February? Not very long. I bet you came here the same way as me," he chuckled. "If you only knew."

"Anyway, here's your spot," he showed me a cabinet, "and this is mine. We share, you see." Shaun sat down in his chair and spun around some. Two computers with big monitors were standing back to back on a huge squared table in the middle. "Suppose I could get used to it. Why do they want us to work together?" Clay shrugged and closed the door before retrieving some folders from his desk. "This is what I've been working on the past two months," he shoved it towards him and sat back, as if observing. Shaun reached for the thick folders and flipped some pages, his eyes slowly widening. "It all looks extremely familiar.." Clay rolled over to him on his seat. "Is that so, you've worked with stuff like this before?" He shook his head, correcting his glasses. "No, forget what I said. It stands that I have to combine and transfer certain files. It isn't anything I've worked with before. These files shouldn't exist in the coding world." As bizarre as it was, Shaun found sudden interest in the project he was assigned. "If only I knew the answer to why we do this, I'd certainly tell you, my friend. From now on we'll make sure to find out together," he took them back and locked into a drawer.

The screen cast a reflection onto Shaun's glasses who had tried for the past three hours to figure out what he was dealing with. Once he found a connection, he did as the instructions told him to. It was remarkably complicated and advanced, something that intrigued him even more. His co-worker did as much effort as him to finish a specific amount of work before end of the day. Shaun had gotten access to a few files from Abstergo's network and used his breaks to read through some documentation. Most of it of course regarded technological inventions and details. Nothing he found to be outstanding. When nothing was to be found there, he simply looked up the list of employees. The list updated every week but you could still see those who had quit and those who had gotten their employment recently. Shaun was one of them with a blue square in the corner. _'No Rebecca, huh? Perhaps they let her go when we were caught,'_ he thought when he scrolled past the letter R.

What actually happened her, he could only guess.


	3. Chapter 3

Deep underground, bioengineers were busy with running their test results in various watch glasses and laboratory flasks, mixing liquids unknown to humanity outside Abstergo's walls. What was done down there was highly restricted and those who let a single word slip could be punished. Naturally, almost no one knew what happened to those individuals, since those people never came back to tell the case. The man behind this all had spread an echo around the world, carrying his name in thousands of articles within computer science and bioengineering. Abstergo Inc. had hired him for their own needs and ever since, he spent his time in a lonely underground office on floor -3 drinking expensive mixes of OH, also called alcohol. It could go on for days in a row unless someone interrupted his depressive peace. In fact, this was one of those times when a man entered his office.

"Sir, there seems to be a problem in the incubator tube. The brain activity has fallen drastically and we aren't sure what to do. Electric stimulation does not affect it in any way..", the man spoke hesitantly. His labcoat was slightly stained with light blue spots, mostly on his sleeves. "Find another way", the man waved his hand at the young assistant, as if shooing a dog away from the dinner table and took yet another sip of his scotch. Hope was drained from the assistant's face while he observed the slightly bald man before him. "As I said earlier, we have tried everything. We might lose him if we don't do anything immediately-". At that moment, the man stood up from his seat and nearly knocked the table off its feet. "I said, find another way!", he shouted and slammed his glass so it spilled all over the surface. Backing away, the assistant nodded quickly and escaped his office within seconds.

Without any trace of what had happened earlier, the man kept on drinking in silence. Mrs Walker slowly stepped away from his door, having heard the argument through it, and left to avoid any kind of commotion in case he decided to leave his office. That though was very unlikely, which was favorable for her.

"Vlog #4, May 21st. I am still trapped here and they have threatened to abduct me. Joking- that never happened. Anyhow, things are going way too easy.. Still managing the deadlines, yay(!). Clay and I are getting along, no death forecasts so far. This thing-," he paused and yawned, "is stupid."

Clay smiled and typed on his keyboard. "Don't say that, it really helps, especially if you don't go out that often. Besides, you'll be able to look back at the time you started and see how you've improved yourself." Shaun turned off the camera on his computer and leaned back, tired from sitting in one position. "I know myself enough to feel certain I won't change, but thanks." Few people passed their office and rarely anyone looked inside to see them. Most had a monotone daily task to take care of, as did Shaun and Clay, except that their task was slightly different. Shaun was constantly caught by curiosity of what certain groups did. If asked, workers often laughed it off of dismissed the question.

"Hey, have you ever seen anyone from the far back get up at any point? I haven't met them anywhere whatsoever, elevators, rooms.. even the cafeteria and halls. Don't you find it strange?" Shaun looked at the flickering light with his hands on the back of his head. "Well.. I do not know anything myself but my former co-worker was transferred there. Ever since, he hasn't spoken to me. None of them seem to do that," Clay said with a sad tone. "Is that so?", Shaun frowned, a wrinkle popping up between his eyebrows. In his opinion, the whole situation was out of line.

Human nature was constructed in a way that people could adapt to anything. Anything except loneliness. Those who fell out of that category simply were too abnormal for Shaun's taste. He himself disliked company, at least he claimed it was the case, but every now and then he couldn't stand the lack of human contact. When he was captured and isolated, it truly was distressing and if given the choice, he wouldn't want that to be repeated. "Can you give me some coins? I have none and I need coffee," Shaun said and left his seat, reaching out his hand. "Again? Your heart will explode if you continue consuming that much. By the way, what happened to the five dollars I gave you last time?" Clay crossed his arms and observed his co-worker in amusement who struggled to find an answer that would make sense. "How rude. I don't ask you where your brain goes every hour when I have to help, so don't ask me." With Clay rolling his eyes, Shaun left the office and walked down the hall to a big coffee machine and fished up what was left of the five dollars.

A cup dropped from the big hole and hot liquid followed right after when he had made his order. His true intention was in fact not to get more caffeine that already had him hooked, but an excuse to get a closer look at those who worked in the back of the hall. Nothing seemed out of ordinary, they were sitting by their desks, minding their own business with keyboard keys giving away that they were typing rapidly. He passed them slowly, taking his time to check their faces in case if he recognized anyone. Despite the number of people who worked there, every single one of them shared the same emotionless expression to the point where it started to concern Shaun. "This isn't normal," he thought and backed away which to his surprise quickly stopped by a body being in his way. Turning around, he found a man staring at him blankly as though he was transparent to him. "My bad.. I'm leaving now. Couldn't find my cabinet," Shaun attempted some kind of a smile and walked around him. In a manner of a statue, he remained in a standing position where Shaun had bumped into him.

"Oh, you're back. I assume you did have some cash left after I gave you my money," Clay grinned and spun in his seat to look at Shaun who had quickly slammed the door. He seemed startled and slightly disturbed. "You okay?" He shook his head and took a seat. "I just met one of the guys working there. At least I think it was. There's something really worrisome about that place. If your friend got sent there, then he must have been a lost case already." Clay frowned and peeked from the side of his monitor. "Don't talk like that about him. He was a very decent person."

"The keyword is 'was', Clay."

Later that day, they ended by handing in their work in form of a sealed box and left the coding department to find rest. Clay waved before the elevator doors closed and continued to floor 6. Shaun had grown to like the small room Abstergo had offered him and laid down on the bed the second he had entered. It was the closest thing to a home he had at the moment. Turning the glass opaque, he decided to turn on some music. It was unexpected but they had a huge choice, all kinds of genres and titles installed into the player. One song after another was skipped until one particular song appeared on the list with small font. "They better have soundproof walls," he grinned and turned up the volume. Music started to blast out of the built in speakers and shake the wall slightly. _'.. Make it okay, I swear I'll behave..'_ He sang along and moved his body. _'You wanted control, so we waited, I put on a show..'_ Someone knocked violently on the wall but without further success, the bass covering up any sounds that came through. "You said I'm a kid, My ego is big, I don't give a shit-!" he sang and grinned while moving his hips from side to side. The stress and tension he had built up inside was slowly disappearing with movements and sweat. _'..All the moves like jagger, I've got the moves like jagger.."_ it continued until he fell back on the bed and panted, staring into the ceiling with wide eyes. "Woah.. that was something." Never had he felt so alive, at least the past few months. He rose and sat up in his bed, gazing into his own eyes in the reflection the wide window provided him with. Small hair stubs were poking out from his chin, so called the three day old shave. Shaun looked older than ever with slightly black circles under his eyes and slim face. "Good god, I look like a caveman..", he rubbed his face and went over to his bathroom. Since Abstergo provided them with all hygienic products, Shaun was convinced he'd find a razor.

Or so he thought at least. He searched through every corner of the narrow bathroom, crawled on his knees but only managed to wipe the floor properly with his pants. Groaning and mumbling, he shoved the card into his pocket and left to take the elevator upstairs. A woman's voice calmly let him know that he was on floor 6. "Thank you, dear," he walked down the corridor. Clay lived just a few doors away from the elevator in room number 38. "Open up, it's me. Dress while you still have the chance cause I'm coming.." The second his fist touched the door, it slid open with a slight creek. ".. in. Clay? Anyone home?" His friend's room seemed abandoned, even the sheets were fixed properly. "Perhaps he's just out somewhere. Where would he go at this hour and why?" Taking what he needed, Shaun left to search for Clay in the empty Abstergo facility that simply gave him the chills. All corridors were blank like papers with rows of doors and numbers. It was as uninviting as a prison. Frankly, that was pretty much it.

The echo of his footsteps spread quickly across the empty hall on the main floor, moonlight stretching Shaun's dark shadow and pinning it to the wall. _'If only this place wasn't as big and confusing. The heck do I find him at?'_ If anything was shining brightly that night, it's the forged lake in the middle of Abstergo's garden.

The doors were not locked, due to the fact that no one could escape the box shaped building. Rustling of leaves in the tree crowns created a relaxing midnight atmosphere along with various flowers and bushes scent. Harmony was present but it was merely an illusion. "That's what they want us to feel after all. Relaxed and relying on them. To hell with that." Freshly cut grass-smell filled the air around him as he strolled around the garden. Compared to his sight, Shaun's hearing was extraordinary and when he heard something move, he quickly traced the sound to a pair of benched by the lake.

Doubled over with his hands in his hair, Clay sat on top of the table with his feet supporting him, seemingly bothered and frustrated for whatever reason there was. "Am I bothering you? You were missing when I stopped by," he sat down next to Clay and gazed over the lake. His friend didn't respond, keeping his eyes buried on the ground. Few minutes passed until Clay decided to speak up, shakiness following his words. "My friend is no longer a worker here. You know.. he just.. he's just gone." Shaun looked over at him with slight puzzlement in his eyes. "They told you that?" Clay smiled sorrowfully and caught eye contact with Shaun. "I saw how they carried him to the elevator on a stretcher. The body was covered but an arm hung loosely from it… I don't understand how it could have happened. Only 29 years.." The newly obtained information made Shaun feel pity, wrapping his arms around himself. "Happens."

Both of them remained in place until Clay broke down, his body shaking intensively along with dripping tears. The typically manly facade was gone with the wind but there was nothing shameful in it. In an attempt to calm him, Shaun put his palm on the back of Clay's neck. "I can't stand this place, Shaun- I really can't. I constantly wonder when my turn is, when will I make my way down in the elevator to the morgue? This whole place isn't normal and everyone seems to accept it. They're no better than lifeless machines.." His words gave Shaun the chills. For the first time in several weeks, he had seen something human, that for once made sense. "Do your job, do not give them reasons to turn you into that kind of machine. As much as I know, you just have to play by their rules and no one will get hurt, you got it? We're a team, mate, I don't say it often at all.."

Shortly, the sobbing ended and got replaced by chit-chatting and small discussions. If there was one thing Shaun was good at, it's convincing people into thinking what he wanted. The least he could do was to give Clay hope they really couldn't rely on, but chose to out of desperation. "I forgot to mention. I ran out of razors so I kind of broke into your room and took one. You can have it back when I'm done shaving.. everything," Shaun grinned and showed it to his friend. Clay made a face and shook his head. "For the love of God, keep it. Let's call it your Christmas gift."

"Come on, get up. Don't we have work tomorrow morning?" Shaun reached out his hand for Clay to grab and pulled him after that. Only their footsteps were heard in the still night. Not even the wind attempted to break through the built mountains. Some light was still on when they entered the main building, illuminating the path towards corridors and left out a few spots for darkness. They strolled across the hall when suddenly an elevator gave away its presence with a quiet 'plong'. "Who on earth..?" Shaun pulled Clay with him into the dark and observed from a corner, careful not to expose himself.

A creature on four limbs crawled out of there, striving to get on its back legs. The fingers were twisted in a horrifying way but when Shaun took a closer look, it showed to be a normal man. Struggling with balance issues, he unsteadily marched towards the doors. Rugs covered his body that was badly bruised and if he wasn't mistaken, an IV tube was still attached to his arm as well. "Do you think he's..?", Clay whispered, his eyes glued to the bizarre scene. Shaun pressed a finger to his mouth and heard how another elevator joined them on the main floor. It seemed that the sound triggered the man as he flipped out and proceeded to crawl and let out loud moans, the closest he could do to screaming. Various staff emerged with weapons and medical equipment in their hands. Some of them held down the man and others gathered around to guard him. What Shaun hadn't expected was that he'd see nurse Walker among them. She bowed over the man and injected a substance into his neck, giving everyone a calm nod. Guards lowered their weapons, standing still while nurses dragged him on the floor towards the elevator. The man's moans were slow and his hands created a wet trail from the IV tube. Without a single word, they disappeared below ground.

Unable to explain what they both had just witnessed, Clay sank down the wall with a numb face expression. "It's not safe, let's go back to our rooms. The least we want to do is stay here after this.." Shaun started walking towards the dorms when Clay stood up and followed his coworker. This night would sure as hell be tough on them.

Mrs Walker's morning routines were always the same, as precise as it could get. Waking up to the alarm at 6am, she got up to spend ten minutes in the bathroom to wash her fatigue away. It was followed up by applying beauty products and getting dressed into same white shirt and tight black skirt that revealed her delicate figure. If anyone was to ask a coworker what they thought of her, they'd describe her as elegant and frankly intimidating. Only an hour was needed for her to be done, unlike other women who were accused by their partners of occupying the bathroom for an eternity. When standing in front of the mirror and looking into her own eyes, she could observe herself from the side without a mask which she wore day in and day out. How much she ever wanted to let go of it, Mrs Walker told herself that it was needed. In a drawer that was locked with a small key laid an object of great importance. It hung loosely when she picked it up and pulled over her head, making sure it was properly fixated on the inside. She had done it so many times that it merely took some seconds. "You're a stranger to me," she said when her bangs were fixed into place and her ponytail brushed carefully. A wig was nothing she fancied because of the itching and honestly, dark brown wasn't her favorite color either. When her true nature had been concealed, she took her lab coat and left the room to attend her duty.

"Did you get any sleep at all?" Shaun asked concerned (although it wasn't visible) when Clay stepped into the elevator, his face comparable to a three day old corpse. Without wasting words, he nodded and leaned against the wall. Shaun understood him better than he wished to, recalling how frightening yesterday's scene was. "Let me buy you a snack. Looking at you makes me feel like I'm at a funeral." Nothing seemed disturbed, Abstergo's employees were busy as always, working like cogwheels in a clock. Sometimes Shaun wondered how they managed to keep check on every single individual, holding a tight grip. It was odd that no one had rioted against the company ever since it had been established. Most impressively, no one from the outer world questioned its existence and success. Both of them got off on floor 0 and passed where only a few hours ago a man got dragged underground with help of security guards and Mrs Walker that Shaun thought he could trust. Nausea took over Clay when he faced the closing doors but he endured it. Everything was alright right now, as much as possible at least.

The monitor flickered to life when one of the employees on floor -1 shook the mouse, sitting down with a bagel and coffee this early morning. It was forbidden to bring any kinds of liquids there and keep it on the table where a single wrong movement could result in disaster. However, that didn't stop him since he had an awfully long day ahead of him. The surveillance department paid double as much for overworked time and many were ready to do so. No one was waiting for them at home either way. "Hey, Mike! Staying as always?", one of the coworkers asked and gave him a pat on the shoulder. "You know it," he smiled and sipped from the paper mug. Mike typed some on his keyboard and opened up the files from last night. It was forbidden to be in the main building after midnight and therefore no one could keep check on the cameras or access any files. "Let's see what we've got here." It could take from some minutes to hours checking that nothing had gone wrong during night, which Mike had learned to expect. This time thought the footages made his skin crawl. The video showed how two men were hiding in the shadow when a subject escaped the laboratory, followed by guards who dragged him back by his limbs. It was as disturbing as it could get, as if taken straight from a horror movie. This sure wasn't the first time someone had escaped the underground but when someone was there to see it happen got the idea that it was possible to run away somehow. "God bless you poor men.. I hope they don't do anything too bad to you.." Mike sighed and wiped sweat off his forehead before taking the USB and leaving to report the incident.


End file.
